California Christmas Part Deux

Christmas Eve was again a splendid party.  we had such a nice time with friends and family.  and Colin had so much fun with his best pal Nalu.  

 a special visitor came to surprise the kids.  the girls were so excited and whispered their cute wishes to the man in red. 

 Colin on the other hand was not very excited to visit with his old friend.  while i was trying to place him in Santa's lap I said, "I just want you to say hi to Santa."  and this is what he did, obediently and tearfully waved and said, "hi."  poor kid, his mom just won't quit.  

 Colin was all pictured out, but I was dying for a shot of all my cuties on Christmas Eve.  

 the clan (minus Barrett's family, and Elder Beardsley):

 i am feeling pretty lousy this pregnancy, I was not a super energetic party goer. 

 Chritmas morning was a bit of a waiting game for the kiddies.  were were able to Skype with Collier, so we let the kids empty stockings, but made them wait to open presents.  here's Avery asking, "is this my Rapunzel doll?"  

 this kid had some unwrapped presents in the mix, so he rode, 

 and hammered and sawed until the opening began.  

 Christmas cuties:

 Avery did in fact receive a life-sized Rapunzel this year.  

 while Anna and Maddie both got just what they asked for too!

 Caroline, the American girl doll from 1812.  

 they got nearly every Caroline accessory (thank you grandma and grandpa), including matching jammies.  

 Tashy and Ian hooked the girls up with these darling magnet boards.  

 and buddy occupied himself with tree ornaments, and...

 the four footballs he got!  

Colin is obsessed with football.  it's his first word in the morning, and if you turn the TV on he is relentless with the question, "football? football? football?"  he and dad had some fun running plays in grandma's yard.  

we had a very Merry Christmas most especially because we were surrounded by family, spoke with and saw Elder Beardsley, and reflected on the birth and love of our Savior.  Merry Christmas to all!

California Christmas part one

we had a great week in California to celebrate Christmas with our family.  we started things out with visiting uncle Austy and aunt Holly's new house, and took the festivities over to the Costa Mesa civic center Peanuts' Christmas display.   

the kids had so much fun checking out all the cool set-ups of Snoopy and the gang!

Colin has mixed feelings about Santa.  he is really excited to see him, but wants nothing to do with him up close and personal.  it's kind of a funny situation, here he is all excited and waving in line saying, "Santa, Santa," then it's out turn and his smile turns upside down.  no lap sits for sure!

i' pretty sure Santa would have appreciated it if Austy chose to forgo the lapsit this year too!  

it was a nice way to spend Christmas Eve-Eve.  

Anna's class party

we love our school, and try to support however we can.  i am Madeline's room mom, teach Art Masterpiece for Anna's class, and volunteer often in both classrooms.  today, i was the photographer for Anna's class party.  they made crafts, read stories, and ate pizza.  fun was had by all.  (especially Anna who loves crafts.)

thanks to Mrs. Casey for being such a fun teacher!  Anna loves first grade!

Madeline's Christmas Concert

Madeline's kindergarten Christmas concert was a treat.  seeing those 120 smiling faces, belting out their long practiced songs is really a treat.  

i love the way these girls support and love each other.  they really are best friends.

 Grandma and Grandpa stayed to see Maddie's concert too!  we are one lucky family!

 our cute little kindergarten carpool.  these kids are so much fun!

Bubba didn't do as great at this concert.  i think it's been a pretty long week for him.  he did however enjoy his after concert ice cream!  we are so proud of Maddie for all she is learning in kindergarten,all the hard work she put into this concert really showed.  great job Madeline!

our first visit with Santa of the season

our ward Christmas breakfast was a fun time. first, we had delicious food next, we had a special visitor, Santa!

 then we got to hear some beautiful music, including the sweet primary choir.  

i don't know if it's pregnancy or my old age, or both, but i am a teary mess this Christmas season!  i love the way the season brings so much joy to all!  

Anna's Christmas Program

this year we got to go to 2 Ben Franklin Christmas Concerts.  the first was 1st-6th grade.  the music was beautiful, the poetry, was fun and funny, and everyone had a great time.  

 i was worried we would lose Colin.  it was kind of a late night, the theater was packed, and he doesn't really like loud places.  but he was a champ!  he loved the music, danced the whole time, and was constantly flirty with the girls in front of us.  

these two girls however, were out like a light by 8pm.  

 Anna was so excited to have Grandma and Grandpa come see her sing.  and sing she did, she sings her little heart out!

my sweet little singer, and my sweet mother  

Christmas lights at the Temple

we were thrilled to go see the Temple lights again this year, and this time with our friends the Hendricksons.  

 i'm sad that my little camera doesn't flash if it isn't charged 100%, so i get these blurry night photos.  

these kids are so cute and fun together.  it's a little funny to see these pictures with everyone in shirtsleeves, and compare those with years past when we're all bundled in our snow coats.  

seeing the Temple lights is a great way to start the Christmas season.  

thanksgiving in Sedona

it's been years since i've been to Sedona, and it had been way too long.  it is really just the most beautiful place.  it is so fun to visit the different areas of this great state.  it's easy to just associate Arizona with the desert, there is just so much to see and Sedona is definitely a must-see!

 we got here on Thanksgiving day and got right to cooking and eating.  after the deliciousness, we headed out for a self-guided jeep tour of Sedona!

 each vista and view was greater then the last.  and the girls had so much fun on the little hikes/walks we took here and there.  (i forgot my camera on our jaunt and thought i'd make up for it the rest of the weekend, thank goodness Tara snapped these pics.)

this should have been a sign of things to come, Colin was not a happy camper, but i chalked it up to the bumpy ride and lack of nap:

 

but later that night, and ALL night long, this poor boy threw up.  and there should really be another name for the sick he was, it was poltergeist.  we had to call the front desk and request a clean up in the morning.  and so, as the exhausted, sick and oh yeah, exhausted mom, i made the executive decision for us to spend the rest of the weekend at home in our home beds.  

so sadly, we called it quits on our Sedona weekend and headed home.  here is my one picture.  the girls call these trees the "fire trees" as the yellow crops up in the middle of the of these little valleys, they think it looks like fire in the distance.  

it is really beautiful.  goodbye Sedona!